The fabled queen of Egypt's affair with Roman general Marc Antony is ultimately disastrous for both of them.The fabled queen of Egypt's affair with Roman general Marc Antony is ultimately disastrous for both of them.The fabled queen of Egypt's affair with Roman general Marc Antony is ultimately disastrous for both of them.
Helen Gardner
- Cleopatra - Queen of Egypt
- (as Miss Gardner)
Pearl Sindelar
- Iras - An Attendant
- (as Miss Sindelar)
Helene Costello
- Nicola - a Child
- (as Miss Helene)
Charles Sindelar
- Antony - a Triumvir and General
- (as Mr. Sindelar)
James R. Waite
- Venditius - a Roman Soldier
- (as Mr. Waite)
Mr. Osborne
- Diomedes - a Rich Egyptian
- (as Mr. Osborn)
Harry Knowles
- Kephren - Captain of the Guards to the Queen
- (as Harley Knowles)
Miss Winter
- Charmian - Attendant to the Queen
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Victorien Sardou
- Charles L. Gaskill(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film is one of the first six-reel feature films produced in the US. With the tagline "The most beautiful motion picture ever made", the film was the first to offer a feature-length depiction of Cleopatra, although there had been a short film about Antony and Cleopatra earlier.
- GoofsThe costumes and hairstyles of Cleopatra and her servants are reminiscent of the Greek style, definitely not Egyptian, albeit in the Roman Period. This is not a goof. Cleopatra was part of a Greek dynasty that had ruled in Egypt for a couple of centuries since Alexander the Great. Her statues show her in Greek-style dress.
- Quotes
Pharon - a Greek Slave and Fisherman: You may kill me, Queen, but the love in my soul for you will never perish!
Cleopatra - Queen of Egypt: If I let you live - and love me - ten days, will you swear then to destroy yourself?
- Crazy creditsCertain stage traditions originally founded in ignorance and preserved after they became traditions, have not been considered; the object of the Director has been to insure naturalness in an atmosphere of romance, the object of the Author to intimate the nobilities and grandeur of the woman who was devotedly loved by Julius Caesar. Perfect freedom has been exercised in the adaption.
- Alternate versionsA restored version, funded by Turner Classic Movies and in the George Eastman House Collection, was shown on Turner Classic Movies on 10 August 2000. It has an original music score by Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida and runs 88 minutes.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Fractured Flickers: Pat Carroll (1964)
Featured review
Important early feature a developmental milestone
Producer-star Helen Gardner has doubtless seen the Italian "Quo Vadis", and this "Cleopatra" runs an amazing 90 minutes for a 1912 feature (with 106 title cards!) "Cleopatra" is a case of trial and discovery in this exploratory era of American features. The first hour is filmed in the static "Film d'Art" style, save for one brief insert added probably very late in the production, and the modern viewer begins to wish that the camera were moved even just a bit closer to the stagebound action, despite the elaborate, if somewhat primitive, stage dressing. In the last third of "Cleopatra" more shots and setups are used, by far, than in the first two thirds. We also find the camera is moving closer to the actors and less of a concern is shown towards exposing the sets, costumes, and extras, resulting in an entirely more satisfying and intimate cinematic experience, though some of this section of the film is choppy in the GEH print aired on TCM. My feeling is that "Cleopatra" is a textbook example of how feature-length filmmaking helped open up possibilities towards a more sophisticated style of onscreen direction, cutting and camera setups. Gardner & co. are literally discovering as they go, and it seems much of "Cleopatra" was filmed in story sequence. By shooting using gradually smaller parts of the set, and closer to the actors, Gardner created a film that had considerably more dramatic power in the end result than was generally required by 1912 standards, and on this alone the film remains a genuine step-forward for the fledgling American feature industry.
helpful•300
- DLewis
- Aug 11, 2000
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Helen Gardner in Cleopatra
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $45,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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